Assessing Dementia Prevalence in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study: Cohort Profile, Protocol, and Preliminary Findings

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Victoria J. Williams ◽  
Cynthia M. Carlsson ◽  
Anne Fischer ◽  
Sterling C. Johnson ◽  
Kate Lange ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Study Cohort ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Genetic Determinants ◽  
Dementia Prevalence ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Dementia Risk ◽  
Wisconsin Longitudinal Study

Background: There is growing consensus that non-genetic determinants of dementia can be linked to various risk- and resiliency-enhancing factors accumulating throughout the lifespan, including socioeconomic conditions, early life experiences, educational attainment, lifestyle behaviors, and physical/mental health. Yet, the causal impact of these diverse factors on dementia risk remain poorly understood due to few longitudinal studies prospectively characterizing these influences across the lifespan. Objective: The Initial Lifespan’s Impact on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ILIAD) study aims to characterize dementia prevalence in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), a 60-year longitudinal study documenting life course trajectories of educational, family, occupational, psychological, cognitive, and health measures. Methods: Participants are surveyed using the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-m) to identify dementia risk. Those scoring below cutoff undergo home-based neuropsychological, physical/neurological, and functional assessments. Dementia diagnosis is determined by consensus panel and merged with existing WLS data for combined analysis. Results: Preliminary findings demonstrate the initial success of the ILIAD protocol in detecting dementia prevalence in the WLS. Increasing age, hearing issues, lower IQ, male sex, APOE4 positivity, and a steeper annualized rate of memory decline assessed in the prior two study waves, all increased likelihood of falling below the TICS-m cutoff for dementia risk. TICS-m scores significantly correlated with standard neuropsychological performance and functional outcomes. Conclusion: We provide an overview of the WLS study, describe existing key lifespan variables relevant to studies of dementia and cognitive aging, detail the current WLS-ILIAD study protocol, and provide a first glimpse of preliminary study findings.

scholarly journals Using Mixture Modeling to Construct Subgroups of Cognitive Aging in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara M Moorman ◽  
Emily A Greenfield ◽  
Kyle Carr
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Mixture Modeling ◽  
Transition Analysis ◽  
Wisconsin Longitudinal Study ◽  
Advance Research ◽  
Low Performance

Abstract Objectives Longitudinal surveys of older adults increasingly incorporate assessments of cognitive performance. However, very few studies have used mixture modeling techniques to describe cognitive aging, identifying subgroups of people who display similar patterns of performance across discrete cognitive functions. We employ this approach to advance empirical evidence concerning interindividual variability and intraindividual change in patterns of cognitive aging. Method We drew upon data from 3,713 participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS). We used latent class analysis to generate subgroups of cognitive aging based on assessments of verbal fluency and episodic memory at ages 65 and 72. We also employed latent transition analysis to identify how individual participants moved between subgroups over the 7-year period. Results There were 4 subgroups at each point in time. Approximately 3 quarters of the sample demonstrated continuity in the qualitative type of profile between ages 65 and 72, with 17.9% of the sample in a profile with sustained overall low performance at both ages 65 and 72. An additional 18.7% of participants made subgroup transitions indicating marked decline in episodic memory. Discussion Results demonstrate the utility of using mixture modeling to identify qualitatively and quantitatively distinct subgroups of cognitive aging among older adults. We discuss the implications of these results for the continued use of population health data to advance research on cognitive aging.

A Longitudinal Posthumous Study of Letter Writing in a Late Elderly Case

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-33
Author(s):  
Angel Ball ◽  
Jean Neils-Strunjas ◽  
Kate Krival
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Elderly Woman ◽  
Semantic Content ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Letter Writing ◽  
Linguistic Performance ◽  
Errors Analysis ◽  
Normal Status

This study is a posthumous longitudinal study of consecutive letters written by an elderly woman from age 89 to 93. Findings reveal a consistent linguistic performance during the first 3 years, supporting “normal” status for late elderly writing. She produced clearly written cursive form, intact semantic content, and minimal spelling and stroke errors. A decline in writing was observed in the last 6–9 months of the study and an analysis revealed production of clausal fragmentation, decreasing semantic clarity, and a higher frequency of spelling, semantic, and stroke errors. Analysis of writing samples can be a valuable tool in documenting a change in cognitive status differentiated from normal late aging.

scholarly journals Cardiovascular Health, Functional Disability, and Leisure Activities Profiles in Relation to Mental Aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 663-663
Author(s):  
Dorina Cadar ◽  
Celine De Looze ◽  
Christine McGarrigle
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Functional Disability ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Functional Impairments ◽  
Ideal Cardiovascular Health

Abstract We investigated cardiovascular health, functional disability and leisure activities profiles independently and in relation to cognitive decline and dementia in high and low-medium income countries using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing and Brazilian Bambui Cohort Study of Aging. Functional loss among older Brazilians has shown a hierarchical sequence over the 15-year follow-up, with the highest incidence in functional disability reported for dressing, followed by getting out of bed, bathing/showering, walking across a room, using the toilet and eating (de Oliveira). Using the Life’s Simple 7, an ideal cardiovascular health scoring system evaluating the muscular strength, mobility and physiological stress, we showed a reliable prediction of cognitive trajectories in a representative sample of Irish individuals (De Looze). Within the same cohort, we report discrepancies between men and women in functional decline driven by domestic tasks, rather than determining differential cognitive trajectories (McGarrigle). In an English representative sample, we found that participants with an increasing number of functional impairments over almost a decade were more likely to be classified with subsequent dementia compared with those with no impairments and this may imply a more comprehensive ascertainment during the prodromal stage of dementia (Cadar). In contrast, a reduced risk of dementia was found for individuals with higher levels of engagement in cognitively stimulating activities, that may preserve cognitive reserve until later in life (Almeida). Identifying factors that influence cognitive aging and dementia risk in a multifactorial perspective is critical toward developing adequate intervention and treatment.

scholarly journals Multigene interactions and the prediction of depression in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study

BMJ Open ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. e000944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas S Roetker ◽  
James A Yonker ◽  
Chee Lee ◽  
Vicky Chang ◽  
Jacob J Basson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Wisconsin Longitudinal Study

scholarly journals High Iodine Deficiency among Pregnant Women in Periurban Ghana: A Hospital-Based Longitudinal Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
David Larbi Simpong ◽  
Yaw Asante Awuku ◽  
Kenneth Kwame Kye-Amoah ◽  
Martin Tangnaa Morna ◽  
Prince Adoba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Iodine Deficiency ◽  
Urinary Iodine ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
Iodine Concentration ◽  
Iodized Salt ◽  
Urinary Iodine Concentration ◽  
Study Cohort ◽  
Iodine Sufficiency

Background. Iodine deficiency causes maternal hypothyroidism which can lead to growth, cognitive, and psychomotor deficit in neonates, infants, and children. This study examined the iodine status of pregnant women in a periurban setting in Ghana. Methods. This longitudinal study recruited 125 pregnant women by purposeful convenience sampling from the antenatal clinic of the Sefwi Wiawso municipal hospital in Ghana. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was estimated by the ammonium persulfate method at an estimated gestational age (EGA) of 11, 20, and 32 weeks. Demographic information, iodized salt usage, and other clinical information were collected using a questionnaire. Results. The prevalence of iodine deficiency among the pregnant women was 47.2% at EGA 11 and 60.8% at both EGA of 20 and 32, whereas only 0.8% of participants not using iodized salt had iodine sufficiency at EGA 32. 18.4%, 20%, and 24% of participants using iodized salt had iodine sufficiency at EGA 11, 20, and 32, respectively. Conclusion. A high prevalence of iodine deficiency was observed among our study cohort.

scholarly journals Genetic determinants of BMI from early childhood to adolescence: the Santiago Longitudinal Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. e12479 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.E. Justice ◽  
G. Chittoor ◽  
E. Blanco ◽  
M. Graff ◽  
Y. Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Genetic Determinants

scholarly journals Sounds of Healthy Aging: Assessing Everyday Cognitive Activity From Real-Life Audio Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 622-622
Author(s):  
Burcu Demiray ◽  
Minxia Luo ◽  
Matthew Grilli
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Cognitive Activity ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
World Health ◽  
Recording Device

Abstract The healthy aging model of the World Health Organization (2015) highlights the value of assessing and monitoring everyday activities in understanding health in old age. This symposium includes four studies that used the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR), a portable recording device that periodically collects sound snippets in everyday life, to assess various real-life cognitive activities in the context of healthy aging. The four studies collected over 100,000 sound snippets (30-seconds long) over a few days from young and older adults in the US and Switzerland. Participants’ speech in the sound snippets were transcribed and coded for different cognitive activity information. Specifically, Haas and Kliegel have investigated the “prospective memory paradox” by examining the commonality and differences in utterances about retrospective and prospective memory failure in young and older adults’ everyday conversations. Demiray and colleagues investigated the relation between autobiographical memory functions and conversation types in young and older adults in relation to well-being. Luo and colleagues have identified the compensatory function of real-world contexts in cognitive aging: Their study showed that older adults benefited from talking with their spouse in producing complex grammatical structures. Finally, Polsinelli and colleagues found robust associations between language markers (e.g., prepositions, more numbers) and executive functions, highlighting the potential use of spontaneous speech in predicting cognitive status in healthy older adults. Finally, Prof. Matthew Grilli will serve as a discussant and provide an integrative discussion of the papers, informed by his extensive work on clinical and cognitive neuroscience of memory in relation to real-life contexts.

scholarly journals Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Later Life Cognition: Evidence From the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 1589-1615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily A. Greenfield ◽  
Sara M. Moorman
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Occupational Status ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Socioeconomic Differences ◽  
Wisconsin Longitudinal Study ◽  
Childhood Socioeconomic Status

Objectives:This study examined childhood socioeconomic status (SES) as a predictor of later life cognition and the extent to which midlife SES accounts for associations. Methods: Data came from 5,074 participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Measures from adolescence included parents’ educational attainment, father’s occupational status, and household income. Memory and language/executive function were assessed at ages 65 and 72 years. Results: Global childhood SES was a stronger predictor of baseline levels of language/executive function than baseline memory. Associations involving parents’ education were reduced in size and by statistical significance when accounting for participants’ midlife SES, whereas associations involving parental income and occupational status became statistically nonsignificant. We found no associations between childhood SES and change in cognition. Discussion: Findings contribute to growing evidence that socioeconomic differences in childhood have potential consequences for later life cognition, particularly in terms of the disparate levels of cognition with which people enter later life.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document